#anywhere

A whomp, and they find themselves there... some of the flatest wettest delta land Dagmar has ever seen. It is raining , light drizzle, but the rain is disturbingly warm.

"Be it every so humble" Gerd says looking around

"That's never not cool...."

Dagmar also looks. "Was this you, or Vegard what lived here?"

"Thanks" She smiles

"Me... Vegard was never here" She says "It doesn't look like much, but.. for a time it was home"

"With your parents?"

"Yeah," She says "Though we lived in more than one place. For about five years I was here.. this was home."

They move to the suburbs, "They're probably not going to recognize me. I.. I stay in corespondence with folks now and then? You know? Penpals? Actual letters instead of emails."

"Well, the letters stopped," A frown, "my fault I guess. I fell behind.. but when I tried to catch up, I thought I'd get a letter back."

"And yes, I know, this neighborhood looks like something out of a wrinkle in time. The parks and monuments spice it up a little but that's closer to the center of town..and New Orleans itself is upriver"

"Sucks losing track of folks."

"Like - it feels like you'll be close forever, until you ain't."

"Yeah. I used to think, when a childling, that friendships were always forever... but... I learned fast otherwise," Gerd says "And that's not just gothy gloom talking. Folks drift sometimes. I hope the folks in the lodge don't."

They approach one House not so far from the river,, looks like it's had work done, not a new house, but definitely signs of reconstruction, and a large drainage ditch is new to help reduce future flooding. It's like a small canal right now.

"Wow, it's..changed, but this is the address."

She approaches the door, and knocks.

Dagmar hears something.

like something heavy just hit a puddle of water behind them

Dagmar turns, alert, one hand on her weapon...

She sees... nothing? Wait, that can't be right she knows she heard something

She draws Flyswatter, wary and waiting.

The door has opened and "Oh, hello, ma'am, are you a friend of the Bridges?" The woman opening the door appears to be a thirty year old woman with a smile, jeans on and a nice blouse.

"Oh, they don't live here any more," the woman says "Havent for months"

"Oh," Gerd says "I.. My name's Gerd Gardener, I guess you got my letters?"

"I did, " THe woman says "So you're Gerd? Yes I returned the letters unopened, but it's an UNusual name."

Dagmar still doesn't see anything other than the lady, but that doesn't make her any less on edge.

"It is.. do.. do you know where they moved?"

She shifts her weight, uneasy but patient.

"Well, No, they sould the house pretty cheap. I thought perhaps to avoid the flooding, we've had it bad... on and off. But with all this reconstruction and at the price.. oh but you don't want to hear about that" A bit condescending, after a twelve year old doesn't care about housing markets.

And then it moves...something from that drainage ditch was moving wrong, as if something were there diverting the water, seemingly transparent, Dagmar can only see the figure thanks to the falling rain falling off the spindly but large (Tall as a troll) form as it heads towards the porch where the lady and Gerd are talking

Gruff. 'Gerd, let's go. Thank you, ma'am."

Gerd turns glaring a moment at Dagmar for rushing, but then says, "Yes, Ma'am. Thank you. "

C'mon, c'mon, close the door lady....

Dag holds her tongue, but she's tense.

The door closes. Gerd doesn't See the taloned creature raising it's claws... it's so close to invisible

Closed? STRIKE!

Flyswatter whips out, and the creature, not knowing it was seen after all, finds it's head removed cleanly from it's body, the chimera growing visible... looking something like Gollum on steroids with long claws.. spindly, bulky, and pale. The head crashes five feet away and the body's arms dig at the space it used to have ah ead.

Gerd almost screams, but instead gasps, and reaches for her mace, "Kill it kiill kill it!"

"Hunh." She stomps over to pick up th e head - careful to avoid its mouth, lest the decapitated thing still be able to bite.

"Your pen pal, was she fae?"

"Dagmar, wait it's not..."

And the head's eyes open and it SNAPS at Dagmar ,still alive despite being beheaded

LATCHING ONTO HER HAND AND ...

She grunts and SMASHES it against the ground.

One of Dagmars fingers hangs by a thread as she smashes the thing. IT snapped through the bone!

If not for a gauntlet, it might fall off

"The eyes, it's soul is kept in it's eyes" Gerd says as she does battle with the body

STOMP.